Robert Hawkins

I have to admit that the Department of Transportation or even this Minister is ahead in some of his ideas. I won’t take that as a criticism. I will say that’s very unusual and welcome to hear that.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, one of the big comments -- and I’ll give the credit to the Department of Transportation -- was to put a TV in there to keep people occupied while they are waiting for service. One of the observations being made is it takes too long to go through, because the average everyday person doesn’t have 15 minutes to run in, because it’s not 15 minutes. It turns into almost an hour. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask questions directed to the Minister of Transportation. In my Member’s statement today, Mr. Speaker, I talked about better customer service approach on the issuing of things like licence plate stickers, driver’s abstracts, and that’s really what I’m after here, is maybe moving government business forward with an eye to servicing the public a little better.

I want to put on the record, of course, that this is in no way a criticism of the public service of who’s providing this service. It’s just the way it seems to work in this type of area.

Mr. Speaker...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When someone works at one of the government customer service counters, they are providing an essential service as a front-line worker. At times, I’m sure, regardless of how hard they work and how hard they try, there are many days they think it’s probably a thankless job. I’m thankful and grateful that many of them keep coming back day after day and providing the essential services that we need so much. So when I come across a matter like I’m going to raise today, I want to raise it with both concern and respect for the job that our public service staff are certainly...

I’m very aware of people who have met tragic ends outside of regional municipalities, be it large communities or small communities. I can think of one particular case where one lady fell through the ice on a skidoo. The access to emergency services is very important. I’m not asking the Minister to solve all the world’s problems, although that would certainly be nice, but I’m asking him to investigate and use this opportunity to investigate developing some type of program that can offer assistance. Because when people are in jeopardy on the land, whether they’re skidooing, hunting, or visiting...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your anticipation that I would want to have an oral question today. My question today will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the concerns that I raised in my Member’s statement today, which is the lack of emergency services provided to people on the land or even at lodges who may be seriously injured.

Mr. Speaker, the direct question to the Minister on this particular subject is: what is he doing to fix this policy so that we do not have a serious and significant gap that our citizens are left fending for themselves when their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a few members in the gallery at this time. I think they’re still up there. First of all, I recognize my constituency assistant who is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre and that would be Maud Robinson-Spence. As well as, I think, flanked somewhere up there I am recognized not as the MLA but also as the father; my two children are up there somewhere: McKinley Hawkins and Hudson Hawkins. Thank you.

Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to report on its review of Bill 10, Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act, and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to report on its review of Bill 10, Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act. The bill would establish a Heritage Fund for the present and future residents of the Northwest Territories, to extend the benefit of today’s economic development and resource development for future generations.

The bill sets up the framework for investing funds allocated to it by the Legislative...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recall, if memory serves me correctly, that this was an important issue when our present Health Minister wasn’t the Health Minister. Now that he’s Health Minister, I’m sure the theocrats have educated him about the ins and outs. All I’m asking for today is, quite simply, would the Minister be willing to take this on as an initiative that we should be looking into and seeing how we can address it and give it it’s fair due and consideration whereas we can get a sense of costing it out and let that sit before committee, let that sit before the Assembly, and let it decide...

I’m well aware that the Minister himself has had problems with this particular policy, and as I understand it, he’s even had constituents in his own riding who have had trouble by this very, I would say, cold and unwelcoming policy.

Is the Minister of Health and Social Services willing to look and see if there are ways to amend it? Because as we heard through Mrs. Groenewegen’s question regarding healthy lifestyle, healthy choices, and the Minister of Health and Social Services underscored what an important and dominant theme that is for both he and governments, so what would the Minister be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 8, oral questions, on the agenda so I can have a question today.

---Unanimous consent granted